


Sburban Juxtaposition^2

by HeartfeltAdvantages



Category: Homestuck, Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe- Sburb Session, Blood, Body Horror, Crossover, Death, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sburb Fan Session (Homestuck), That'll happen a lot in this fic, because good grief, characters might be a little ooc here and there, gonna need to start referring to deceit as janus now, his name is so cool
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22136230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartfeltAdvantages/pseuds/HeartfeltAdvantages
Summary: Six kids play a game. Six kids bring about the end of the world.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Janus "Deceit" Sanders
Comments: 34
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

\-- lightestMuffin [LM] began pestering magneticLinguistic [ML] at 16:13 --

LM: heeeeeeeeeey logan! :D

LM: whatcha doing?

ML: Good evening, Patton. I was just doing some light reading. School just ended for you, correct?

LM: yep!

LM: i don't have TOO much homework to do for the weekend, thankfully

LM: so now i can spend the weekend with my dad! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

LM: what're you reading anyways?

ML: Athena found a book that was near the temple, and I think it might be a journal that Grandma left. I haven't read it though, so I'm not sure.

LM: you mean that weird frog temple you told me about?

LM: what was your dog doing all the way over there????

ML: I'm assuming that she went on a walk without me knowing. I already scolded her about going about without my supervision. I don't want her getting hurt.

LM: she isn't hurt, right?

ML: No, she's fine.

LM: that's a relief!

LM: OH YEAH I ALMOST FORGOT SOMETHING

LM: roman wanted to know if you got your copy of the game yet

ML: I haven't gotten it as yet. It takes longer for items to come here, remember?

LM: oh yeah you're right

LM: i keep forgetting that you live on an island

ML: When I get the game, I'll make sure to tell you. Have you gotten yours yet?

LM: no :(

LM: it sucks because i really wanna play this game

LM: everyone at school keeps talking about it!!

ML: With so many kids getting the game, I think it might take a while for it to get to everyone.

LM: yeah

LM: oh, my dad's calling me!

LM: i'll talk to you later, logan!

LM: give athena a kiss for me, okay?

ML: I will.

LM: <3

\-- lightestMuffin [LM] ceased pestering magneticLinguistic [ML] \--

Your name is Logan Crofters, and you're debating on whether you should go to the Frog Temple or stay inside and wait for the game to arrive. But, as Patton requested, you called Athena over to you. The dog, a Newfoundland, perked her head from where she was and trotted over to you excitedly, still panting from the unsupervised trip she took. "This is from Patton." You kissed her forehead, and in response she licked your cheek. A fond smile grew, and you gave her a good scratch behind the ear for being such a good girl, even if she did cause a bit of trouble.

You don't remember much about your childhood, and you barely remember Grandma Crofters, who died when you were extremely young. _However_ , you know that at some point during your life, you got Athena for your sixth birthday, and the two of you've been attached to the hip since. In a weird way, Athena acted as your guardian while you were growing up as there were no other adults present in your home. You depended on her for a large majority of your life, and you honestly don't know what you would do if she ever got hurt. 

Grandma Crofters, on the other hand, was something else. From what the people in town told you, she was the founder of Crofters Jelly, which explains why you're able to live in such a stupidly big house. She was also an avid adventurer, from all of the trophies and newspaper clippings that was hung around the house. Her greatest work by far was the Frog Temple that was a few miles away from your house. Grandma Crofters managed to decode the hieroglyphs that decorated the wall and uncovered a grand code- a code to what, you don't know. She haven't elaborated on what she deciphered in her journals, and so you're left wondering what it was that took her fourteen years to do. The notes she left behind could range from highly possible to just plain stupid, and unfortunately for you, almost all of them was just plain stupid. 

Still, you would do anything to see the women that everyone praised so highly, even if it was just for a day. You've watched all of her interviews and talk shows more times than you can count, and you practically memorized all of the newspaper articles that was written about her.

That's enough reminiscing for one day. You picked up the journal that Athena found and walked out of your bedroom. The dog followed you loyally, and you smiled at her and booped her nose. The house was quiet, as always, and you've learned to hate the silence. It was one of the main reasons why you're always outdoors, and if you weren't outside you would always leave the television playing in the background. 

The weather was promising, however, with clear blue skies and white clouds passing overhead. You didn't feel like going to your usual place, though, so you went to the palm tree that was near your house and sat under it. Athena curled up by your side, panting lightly as you opened the book. The book was significantly more damaged than the rest of her journals, and you have to wonder if it was like that from the beginning or was it the work of your dog. The words was still eligible, so you began to read.

* * *

A young teen stands in his bedroom. It just so happen that today is the day that SBURB release to the public, yet it also happen to be the day when your brother decided to unleash all of hell.

PB: I swear to god it sounds like hes trying to summon Satan

PB: You have no idea how lucky you are

PB: At least YOU don't live with a maniac 

BY: are you kidding me???

BY: at least you dont live with a literal snake

You rolled your eyes and flopped onto your bed, holding your phone above you as you typed. 

PB: Honestly though, I'm just waiting for the game to arrive 

BY: a prince should have patience, you know

BY: how else are you gonna save the princess?

PB: By charging headfirst into battle!

"ROMAN!"

You jumped and dropped your phone on your chest. You groaned and quickly sent him a final text before exiting your room. "What do you want, Remus?" Your brother stood at the bottom of the stairs, a shit-eating grin stretched across his face. He was covered in paint, as always, yet that wasn't what made you gasp. He was holding two boxes in his hand, and the grin seem to grow wider. 

"Guess what came in the mailbox?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1/5/2020

Your name is Virgil Engaño, and like most people, you have a wide variety of interests. You're not going to go into those details, though, because you honestly don't feel like it. For the past few days, it'd been raining non-stop, so not only you were stuck inside the house all day, but you were stuck inside the house with _Janus_ of all things. You could tolerate your guardian, sure, but being around him for three-to-four days can really get on your nerves. One can only listen to My Chemical Romance for so long without getting annoyed by it. 

You sighed and lowered the paintbrush down. The impromptu paint session you decided to hold was fine, but you slowly began to lose interest throughout the process until you're now stuck with a half-assed portrait of your backyard. Frowning slightly at the sight, you realized that you weren't going to finish this anytime soon, so you got up and walked to your computer. Roman said that he was busy, so you can't talk to him, and Patton said that he was going to bake with his dad. You're not in the mood to put up with Logan's antics, so that just leave you with jack shit to do. You clicked your tongue and leaned against the swivel chair, rocking it back and forth slowly as you debated on what to do. In the end you decided to watch some of your favorite Tim Burton's movies, so you started it off with Caroline.

It's clear that you won't be doing anything interesting right now, so we might as well move onto the next person.

* * *

A young teen is sitting on the kitchen counter, a whisk in one hand and a bowl in the other. It's clear that he's supposed to be mixing the batter for the cake, but instead he's looking at the window. His parental figure noticed and smiled faintly at the sight.

"Pat, relax. We'll know when the package arrives, so you can stop checking the mailbox every half an hour. You're making me anxious."

You sighed and turned your attention to the bowl on your lap. You couldn't helped yourself- you've been waiting for the game to come out for months. To think that the game was coming out _today_ made you excited and a bit annoyed. It's almost twelve o'clock, dangit! What's taking them so long? "Sorry, Dad. I just... _really_ wanna play the game right now though."

Your Dad chuckled in understanding. "I know the feeling, bud, but it'll get here soon. For now, let's just try to focus on this cake, alright?" He ruffled your hair with his free hand and you giggled in response for playfully swatted his arm away. A comfortable silence fell over the two of you. It was relaxing. It was peaceful.

It lasted five minutes.

Your eyes darted to the window on accident before you did a double take. The red flappy thing that was on the mailbox- what _is_ that thing called, anyways?- was up, and you almost dropped the spoon you were holding. Instead, you tossed it into the sink and ran to the front door, waking up your pet dog Buttercup and causing her to bark after you. Finally, after months of waiting, the game was finally here! You couldn't stop the grin that stretched across your face as you stood in front of the mailbox.

You reached out your hand to open it...

* * *

...and woke up in a room drenched in purple. Your name is Janus, and you found yourself once again in Derse. You sat up and rubbed the grogginess out of your eyes. Outside your tower, you heard the invasive whispers of the creatures that dwell outside of the planet, but like always, you can't understand what they were saying. You distantly remembered Remus mentioning something about them, but you were still too groggy to remember what it was. But that wasn't all you heard.

The people of Derse was excited, and for what, you don't know. Swinging your legs over your bed and letting out one last yawn, you stood up and floated to the window. Squinting against the sudden bright light, you looked in amazement as Dersites as far as the eye can see marched through the narrow streets and towards the castle. You followed them blindly, floating above them to remain out of sight.

Something about this felt wrong, you realized the closer you got to the source of the noise. An uneasy feeling swell and laid heavy on your chest, and you fought to push that feeling down. You arrived closer to the Capital. The noises- the cheering, the celebration that they were holding- got louder. Engines accompanied the cheers, almost drowning it out in their intensity. You could barely hear yourself think as you froze, your body suspended in the air. 

Grey dropships, dozens in numbers, rose into the air and took flight at a dizzying speed, with more quickly replacing where they were. Your eyes followed the path that they took, and it took you a minute to see what it was. It was the planet that Derse was always orbiting around- the one that the Dersites seem to have an obsession over.

They were heading to Skaia.

* * *

"Remus, give me the box dammit!"

You pushed your arm out to block him, keeping the package just out of reach. A shit-eating grin was stretched across your face. "What are you waiting for then? Just grab it." Your twin stopped and huffed in annoyance, red and green eyes boring into your own. The scowl was quickly replaced, however, as he stepped a couple of paces back. He extended his arm to the side, activating his Strife Specibus in the process and producing his signature sword. 

"Alright then, _brother,_ if's that how you wanna do this-" He pointed the sword at you- "then I'll play your little game."

Your mace appeared in your hands seconds later; you lifted the box into the air and produced your Captchalogue Modus- a grave stone materialized in midair and seemed to consumed the box. An inscription appeared in bold, shaky letters: **SBURB CLIENT AND SERVER PACKAGE**.

Cracking your neck, you lowered your stance and grinned wickedly at him. "No holding back?"

"No holding back."

You readied yourself before stricking.

The Strife have begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the story is still in the early stages, I wanted to have a quick poll for one of the characters: Seer of Doom or Seer of Light?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1/5/2020

You dodged the thrust of your brother's blade and elbowed him in the side. Roman gasped in surprise and pain and staggered back, hugging his bruised side and glaring at you. The two of you breathed heavily, your weapons poised and ready to attack. You ignored the dull throbbing pain on your wrist and how wobbly your legs felt beneath you in favor of a snarky grin. "Give up?"

" _Hell_ no." Despite how confident he sounded, you could tell that he was starting to lose stamina. He was favoring his left leg more now, and you saw the beginning of a bruise forming along his arm. The barest hint of a scratch showed itself on his cheek from where he slapped him, but apart from that he looked relatively fine. There was an unspoken rule between the two of you that you aren't allowed to draw blood during one of your fights, especially when it applies to weapons. The point of a strife is to prove a point, not kill each other. 

You charged, sprinting to your twin and raising your mace as though you were going to strike him. He raised his sword to block the attack, and you removed your left hand from the mace and punched him in the stomach. A strangled choke left him as his hold on the sword loosen, and you used that to your advantage; knocking away the weapon, you pushed him into the back of the couch. He lost his footing and tipped over the furniture, landing flat on his back as you pinned him down. Roman struggled to get away but ultimately failed, and you stared down at him with a grin. "Checkmate."

He shook his head aggressively as you got off him and dusted yourself off, pointing an accusing finger in your direction. "I call _bullshit_ on that, Remus! That fight wasn't fair at all!"

"It _was_ fair, brother- you're just a sore loser!"

"Am not! I'm a prince who stands for justice and you clearly did not win fairly!"

"Whatever," you said, pressing your hands together and bowing your head. A line of gravestones appeared, and you scanned them before finding the one you wanted. It crumbled away into dust when you touched it, and out came the red and green boxes that came in the mail. You tossed the red one to Roman and tucked your box under your arm. "Have fun, dude."

You paused when Roman called out your name. "Wait, why did you-?"

"I dunno. I got bored."

Roman glared at you in annoyance. "You prick."

"Love you too."

* * *

This was a horrible idea.

No, this was a _stupid_ idea. 

Athena remained by your side as you ventured to your Grandmother's study with nothing more than the ramblings of a possibly insane women, a dog who looks way too excited to be going with you, and the burning curiosity of finding out what the hell is a Lotus Time Capsule. Despite the fact that you can literally transport to the temple, you never actually bothered to go. It always seemed like a waste of time to you, and with how old and unstable the structure was, it also seemed to be a hazard to your health. Now, for some inane reason however, you are ignoring all signs of logic and are diving head first into what might literally be your grave. 

You entered the room and paused.

It's been so long since you've been in here, and yet it only felt like yesterday to you. Banners of a golden and purple planet hung across the room, with the largest one displayed in the middle of the room- a blue and white planet similar to Earth with a flower-like symbol depicted in the middle. Bookshelves filled the room to the brim, leaving just enough space for a small desk, a chair, and an overstuffed recliner. You ignored all of these and headed straight to the third bookshelf.

It took you a while to find the book when you did, you read the colorful words on the cover- _**Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic**_. Just seeing it fills you with memories of days trying so hard to learn magic to become the powerful wizard that you would role-play as with Roman when you were kids; you grew out of that phase, as all children do, but a small part of yourself still wishes to know that magic _could_ be scientifically possible. You decided to hold on to it just for nostalgia, activating your Captchalogue Deck to store it way- a silver file cabinet materialized into thin air and opened on its own, storing the item in the 'B' category. It disappeared just as quickly, and you are reminded of what you originally set out to do. 

You tilted the book that was besides Mark Wilson's and watched as the bookshelf shuddered before dragging itself to the left, leaving a path for you and your dog to follow. You discovered this on accident one day when you were looking for something to read, and so like any kid, you went in to see what it was. You remembered seeing a transporter of some kind, but before you were able to stand on it, someone (probably your Grandmother) pulled you back to the main room and warned you to never go there again. You knew, however, that the transporter was somehow connected to the Frog Temple, as you would always remember seeing your Grandmother enter the strange room only for a light to appear in the Frog Temple an hour later (it took you a while to actually get to the Frog Temple- you had very tiny legs and not enough stamina).

Today was the day you prove that theory. 

You entered the narrow corridor and shortly arrived to a slightly bigger room, ignoring the musty smell that hit your nose in favor of calling Athena over to you. The transporter was still there even after all these years, and a strange sense of relief filled you at the sight. Despite how new it looked, you doubted that it would still worked. Still, it doesn't hurt to try. Making sure that Athena was by your side, you stepped on the pedestal-shaped device and expected to be hit with a wave of disappointment at the bitter realization that it's broken. Instead you were suddenly enveloped in a column of white and found yourself in an entirely new location.

* * *

You were on the verge of exploding when you reenter the kitchen with a bright blue box in your arms. Dad jumped from drinking his coffee, and you quickly apologized before spilling out, " _I got the game!_ "

"I told you that you would get it soon, Pat," he grinned, and you squealed in pure joy before hugging him and running to your room.

\-- lightestMuffin [LM] began pestering breakpointYouth [BY] at 17:35 --

LM: I GOT THE GAME

LM: :D :D :D

LM: DID YOU GET THE GAME YET???

LM: WHOOPS FORGOT THAT I LEFT ON CAPS LOCK

LM: that's better :D

LM: virgil? are you on???

LM: you're probably going to practice 

LM: well. don't forget to tell me about the game!

LM: i love you!!!!!!

LM: <3 

\-- lightestMuffin [LM] ceased pestering breakpointYouth [BY] \--

* * *

You were, in fact, not going to practice. Instead, you were doing quite literally the opposite. 

You were convinced that you were, quite honestly, in hell. 

You saw Patton, the person who you considered to be your best friend in the whole wide world, standing before a snake-like being who's head was enveloped in a blinding light with a pleading look on his face before he began to whither away, his skin tightening around his bones before they finally disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a skeleton. Roman was surrounded by what looked like two ogres, his sword broken in half and his back pressed against the wall. Logan was bleeding in a room that seemed to be made out of purple, a man with a spade symbol on his shirt standing before him with a bloodied knife in his hand, the clock near his bedside reading 10:45. They went on for on and on, flashes of your friends dying and you watching, begging, screaming out to them, with the sound of a bell ringing in your ear until you realized that it wasn't apart of your dream.

You woke up, sweat sticking your shirt to your chest and trying to inhale air as quickly as your body can allow you to. The bell that you heard was the doorbell, and you begrudgingly realized that someone was at your door. "Comin'!" You got off your bed, turned off the movie that was playing in the background, and went to see who it was. 

Janus was still asleep on the couch as you walked past him. He looked fine, for the most part, and you forced the image of his bloodied body out of you head before answering the door. No one was there, and you almost closed the door before noticing the yellow and purple box that was on the mat. It took you a beat to realize that it's the game, and you stacked them on top of each other and brought them inside. "Wake up." You dumped the yellow box on Janus and watched as he didn't even moved. You rolled your eyes and gave short, rapid slaps to his cheek until he finally looked at you with one eye and hissed, " _What?_ "

"The game came."

You left him before he could say anything else, returning to your bed and tossing your box on the bed. Grabbing your phone off you desk, you looked at the messages that Patton sent you and smiled. 

\-- lightestMuffin [LM] ceased pestering breakpointYouth [BY]  \--

\-- breakpointYouth [BY] began pestering lightestMuffin [LM] at 12:56 --

BY: sorry for not responding pat

BY: but i got the game!

LM: :D :D

LM: wait don't you have softball practice right now?

BY: i don't think im going today

BY: its still raining pretty hard so i think theyll cancel it

BY: besides

You paused. You didn't want to tell Patton of all people about what you dreamed just now, but you literally dug yourself in a hole that you can't get out.

BY: its pretty morbid even for my standards

LM: well, if it's bothering you, i think it's best to talk to someone about it instead of bottling it up!

BY: well

BY: i saw all of you dying

BY: it happened so fast that it all became a blur, but at the same time it felt like i was watching it in slow-motion

BY: it was horrible

BY: it was a fucking nightmare

BY: oh shit i didnt mean to curse

LM: it's okay!

LM: and that sounds awful, virgil!

LM: no wonder you didn't want to tell me!

LM: :(

BY: it sucks

LM: well, at least you have one thing to look forward too

BY: apart from watching my friends and family die right before my eyes?

LM: it's just a dream!

LM: a horrible one at best, but a dream nonetheless!

You glanced at the time. It's 1:05. The time you saw wasn't in your timezone, apparently. As much as you appreciate Patton trying to cheer you up, though, you still couldn't get rid of that horrible feeling that have been with you ever since you woke up. 

BY: yeah

BY: youre right, pat

BY: now let wait for those losers to get their copies of the game already

LM: :D

* * *

The Kingdom of Darkness is preparing for war.

For years they have been at Prospit's throat, but today is the day that they win. To make that dream a reality, though, they need to get rid of a few unwanted troubles. _Six_ wanted troubles, to be more precise. And that is where you come in. That is, if you were the one in charge of the damn thing. No, instead you, Jack Noir, the person who is more skilled with the blade than a samurai who's been training for years to avenge his murdered family, is stuck behind a desk and filing away fucking _parking tickets._

You wanted more than anything to kill the person who decided to put you in arguably _the worst job_ on the planet, but you are physically incapable of doing so. Why, you pondered, as you tucked your hand beneath your chin, sit on a rock that just so happen to be at your disposal, and stare off into the distance like a widow who lost her husband out in sea?

Because the person who put you in charge of this godforsaken job is the Black Queen, or who you like to call- the biggest bitch in the planet. Not only is she ten times stronger than the whole kingdom _plus_ you, she is also cunning as hell and is able to see what your going to do before you could even _think_ about doing it.

The lady in question, however, seems like she wants to have a word with you. You found her in the parlor, a board game of some kind in front of her and a Waiting Lady at her side. She smiles at you and beckons you to take a seat, and you do so begrudgingly. The curtains was tied back, allowing you to see the battleships getting ready for flight. She greets you in that soft voice of yours and ask if you would like anything to drink.

You declined, saying that you would much rather know why she called you here in the first place. You're a very busy man, you know- all those parking tickets can't sort themselves out. She laughs and tells you that what she is about to offer you is right up your ally. Now you're intrigued. You tell her to go on. She does.

The Black Queen gestured to the board in front of you and asked if you are familiar with the game of chess. You said no- you prefer card games than board games. She nods in understanding and continue. The game of chess is simple, she explains; whoever is able to obtain all of the pieces from the opposing player wins. Easy, right?

You nodded, but you still had no idea why this concerns you.

You can't have a fair game of chess, she continues, if there are other pieces that are added to the game.

What other pieces, you asked, and she protrudes six checker pieces from her hand- three red and three black. 

Theses checker pieces aren't a part of the game, and yet they exist in the sidelines. They have yet to awoken, but the ones that have are not aware of the power that they have to make us lose this game of chess. She looked you dead in the eye as she smiled with her eyes. I want you to get rid of these pieces to make this game fair for the both of us.

You may have an immense hatred for this women, but at that moment a mutual agreement was formed. You nodded, stood, and bowed. You have my word that I'll get rid of them, Queen.

She smiled, and you smiled back with her.


	4. Chapter 4

It took you a moment to realized that you weren't, in fact, dead. Far from it, actually. You were standing on the transporter that you were certain wouldn't work, and in a room that you were certain was apart of the Frog Temple. Athena circled your legs several times before running forward, her barks echoing in the almost empty room. 

Your hypothesis about the condition of the temple proved to be correct after all. Pieces of the walls were laying in crumpled heaps that were scattered across the room; the late morning sun was streaming in through various rays from the speckled ceiling, and you saw that moss and vines creeping through the crevices. Petals and flowers floated lazily through the broken windows, and a red hibiscus landed in your hair along with a few flowers that you recognized from your island. There was a small desk and chair that was eaten away by time, and it took you a moment to realized that it belonged to your Grandmother. It was the object that was standing in the center of the room that left you frozen in awe.

It was there, just as Grandmother described it. The lotus flower itself was bigger than you, and that excluded the platform that it was on. You gripped the book tighter in your hands and rushed forward to it. The pink petal was soft to the touch and released a faint yet sweet fragrance that filled you with nostalgia, although you have no idea why that was the case. Athena barked and ran her head along your hand, and you gave her a quick scratch before pausing. There was a timer near the base of the capsule.

"Fascinating... this looks like it was here for almost a million years..!" You breathed, reaching out a hand to touch it. Before your fingers made contact, you felt your body falling to the side as darkness quickly swarmed your vision. The only thing you remembered was hearing Athena's frantic barks before you fell unconscious.

* * *

_Hours in the past, but not many..._

\--breakpointYouth [BY] began pestering youngBooty [YB] at 13: 14--

BY: i need you to do me a favor

YB: well THIS is new!!

YB: since when do YOU strike up a conversation with me???

YB: are you really that desperate as to talk to me of all people??????

YB: *strokes moustache*

BY: this was a mistake oh my god

BY: 1. stop stroking that pathetic excuse of a moustache for one goddamn second before i rip it off and feed it to you

YB: oooh harder daddy

BY: oh my fucking god

BY: just listen to me for once in your goddamn life you unhinged bastard and stop torturing my soul

YB: i'm listening

BY: good

BY: wonderful, even

BY: ive been trying to reach specs for almost twenty minutes and he isnt picking up his phone

BY: i want you to check on him

YB: if he didn't answered any of your messages, what makes you think he's gonna talk to me???

BY: I DONT KNOW MAN IM STRESSED AND TIRED OKAY?

YB: so just your regular self then

BY: just

BY: make sure that hes okay, okay?

YB: will do panic at the everywhere

BY: i regret everything about this

\-- breakpointYouth [BY] ceased pestering youngBooty [YB]\--

You could do _so_ much better than sending Logan a simple message- you could visit the man himself! Shoving your phone in your pocket, you leapt off the bed and flew out the window of your tower. It shouldn't take you that long to go to his tower, and you also got the added bonus of checking out what Derse was doing on your flight.

Derse was preparing for something big- that much you know. As much as you would love to watch the ships leave for Skaia, you have a mission to do.

... which you quickly forgot when you passed by Damien's tower.

You popped in just to say a quick hello but frowned when you saw that he was asleep. It was a shame, too- you could have done so much stuff with him. You shrugged and looked around his bedroom for any markers to decorate his walls. You like leaving cryptic messages for him to wake up to, and so far he haven't seem to know that you were the one who was doing it. After several minutes of trying and failing to think of something good to write, you finally decided to leave a generic "I was here!" before tossing the markers to the side and going through the window with a running start. 

A quick glance at your watch told you that it was 10:24- by the time you get to Virgil's tower it should be around 10:40 or so. It all depends on how quickly you can get distracted. 

You took your usual route and noticed something odd. One of the workers for the Black Queen was going on the same path as you. Not a lot of people uses this route because of how hidden and tight it was compared to the main road, so you were the only one who know about it existence. That _was_ the case, though. Now you're watching a shady ass person who usually works on parking tickets head to your friend's tower just as war is about to begin. 

"What an exciting turn of events...!" You grinned, now focusing all your attention on the stranger as you follow him from above.

* * *

==> Become Jack Noir

You are now Jack Noir, and you are preparing yourself for what might honestly be the best job of your life. You can finally kiss your boring job of giving people parking tickets away and focus on your true calling: _Murder_. 

The task that the Queen gave you was simple. While Derse is preparing for war against Prospit, you are to kill the Mage before he enters the game. Kill the Mage, you kill the game. It's as simple as that. You also have the added bonus of killing the other players to, should you so desire. 

To enter the Mage's tower, you decided to take the backstreet so that you could avoid as many people as possible. You wouldn't be a good assassin if people saw your face, now would you?

The tower loomed overhead, and you quicken your pace. You haven't felt this level of excitement in a _long_ time. Now in front of the tower, you took out your mini-transportalizer and toss it to the ground. It expanded to its normal size as soon as it touched the ground, and you made a mental note of taking it back when the job's done. You also made a mental note to thank Droog for getting the other transportalizer in the target's bedroom so quickly. It would have been a bitch to scale the damn tower.

Stepping on the platform, light enveloped your body that only lasted a couple of seconds, and you found yourself standing in the Mage's bedroom. It looks like he haven't awaken yet, and you couldn't help but grin at how easy your job was. Taking out your favourite knife and twirling it around your fingers once for dramatic effects, you walked towards his bedside and held it up to his chest. Your eyes noticed an alarm clock on the dresser and saw that it was 10:43. 

"Bye, brat."

The knife almost fell out of your hand as a sudden sharp force knocked the wind out of you. A human boy stood in near the bookshelf. Red and green eyes stared into yours, and he grinned and shook his head, almost like he was scolding you. "That won't do at all," he tsked, a mace materializing in his hands. "I'm afraid I need him alive."

"Too bad for you, kid. I'm just doing my job," you said coldly. 

"So am I."

There was something unspoken between the two of you as you stared at each other- a silent dare to see who would strike first. 

10:45.

He moved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking such a long time to update! College got a lot more hectic recently, and I also started a YouTube channel where I'll post speedpaints and hopefully animatics. That's gonna be taking up a majority of my time, but I'm way too invested in this story to stop now!  
> Hopefully the next chapter will come out more quickly, and I'll see you on the flipside!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1/5/2020

PB: Well THAT was pointless

PB: What's the point of a good strife if you aren't going to adhere to the rules???

BY: you pestered me just for this???

BY: if you wanted to vent to someone you should have gone to patton

PB: Oh believe me, I know who to talk to if i wanted to air out all of my dirty laundry

BY: dont you mean secrets?

PB: Did I stutter?

BY: fair enough

BY: so why DID you chose to bother me out of the blue?

BY: you dont usually strike a conversation up a conversation with me that much 

BY: oh my god i literally sounded like remus

PB: Why were you talking to him????

BY: unimportant

BY: just tell me what you want already so that i can go about my day

PB: I want to play the game

PB: We already got our copies of the game and Patton already let me know that he got his

PB: So I'm assuming that you and Deceit got it as well

BY: i still find it odd that you all decided to nickname him "deceit" instead of choosing something else

PB: His last name literally means deceit

PB: It would be a waste for me to not use it

BY: youre getting lazy, princey

PB: We're getting off topic, emo

PB: Do you want to play or not?

There was a pause before Virgil's message appeared.

BY: what about logan?

BY: hes the only one who we havent heard from yet

BY: do you really think its a good idea to leave him out?

PB: We're not excluding him, Virge!

PB: I just wanna do a quick test-run to see if the game's good or not

PB: Besides I'd doubt that the others would mind anyways

There was another pause.

BY: fine

BY: but i swear if patton finds out about this then ill personally come over to your house and slap you

PB: YES

PB: I'LL INSTALL THE GAME

\-- properlyBeau [PB] ceased pestering breakpointYouth [BY] \--

You sighed, leaning back on your swivel chair and kicking your legs on the edge of the table. While you didn't liked the idea of playing the game right now- Patton made all of you agree to play the game together -you had to admit that you _were_ curious as to how the game looks. Reaching over to grab your copies of the game, you inserted the discs into your computer and waited for it to install. A window popped up, and after agreeing to all of the legal bullshit that comes with every game and not taking the time to read it, you were greeted with the Sburb's logo flashing on your screen. You watched as the circle flashed with intricate symbols curiously. The installation only lasted a couple of minutes before you were greeted with a rather odd sight.

The six of you have sent enough photos of each other over the years, and you know that you are looking in Roman's bedroom when logic dictates that this _should not be possible._ You slammed your laptop shut with breakneck speed before you realized a bit too late that you could crack your screen and immediately opened it again. Yep- you're still looking into Roman's room. 

You didn't even noticed that Janus entered until he asked, "What the hell am I looking at?" There was visible confusion in his voice, and you could only shrug helplessly in response. He sat on the armrest and leaned into you, causing the chair to tilt to the side dangerously. It was rare for the two of you to be this close to each other without getting at each other's throat, but you were a bit preoccupied to enact a sibling strife. "Weird..." He mused, resting his chin against the top of your head. "How are you even doing this?"

"It's the game! I just installed it and boom! I'm looking into Roman's room like a total creep."

The person in question was sitting in front of his own computer, texting away on his phone while he waited for Sburb to install. There was no audio, but you had a feeling that he was singing something from the way he was dancing in his chair. 

"Ask him to do something," Janus piped, and you lifted your head to look at him.

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Something!"

You made a face but carried out the request all the same.

BY: do something interesting

PB: ???????

PB: Why???

BY: humor me, princey

Roman rolled his eyes and said something to himself but stood up anyways. He pushed aside the pile of books that rested by his feet and did a handstand that lasted five seconds before returning to his feet; Janus reached over your shoulders and took a screenshot of the handstand before he sent it to Roman.

BY: screenshot.png

The teen did a double take and looked around the room frantically. 

PB: ??????????????

PB: This is a joke, right????

PB: It's like those reality tv shows, right?????

BY: nope

PB: HOW?!?!?!?

BY: welcome to my world, buddy

* * *

==> Become Remus

You are Remus, and as much as you like strifes, this is ridiculous.

This guy is stupidly good with knives and just about any sharp objects he can get his hands on, and while this would be a minor inconvenience on its own, you also get the added factor of fighting in a cramped room. You almost lost an eye several times because of bumping into a desk or a bookshelf! 

You tasted blood and snarled, raising your mace to block the attack from the intruder. You've barely been able to land a hit on him, and yet here you are looking like you decided to take a bath with knives. You released a tense breath you didn't know you were holding and allowed yourself a chance to glance at the window. It was wide enough for you and Logan to fit through if you were being careful, but the glaring problem you're facing is the fact a murderous and stabby man is standing between you. You needed to find a way to get past him, but he's barely giving you time to think.

Your back hit the bookshelf, and an idea suddenly came to mind. You bore your teeth in a crazed grin and swung your mace to attack. He dodged, as expected, and the weapon disappeared as you grabbed the edge of the bookshelf and brought it down, catching the intruder off guard and backing away from the furniture while also giving you enough space to move. You zipped to Logan- who somehow managed to stay asleep during this whole fuckery -and pulled him to his feet. 

He snapped awake at the motion and looked around in confused shock, pausing when he saw you. " _Remus-?_ "

If this was any other situation, you would have gave him a snarky response. Instead, you grabbed his hand tight and gave him a quick, "Hold on!" before you jumped out the window. 

A knife whizzed past your face and grazed your cheek, throwing off your balance slightly, but you were already in the clear. With Logan screaming bloody murder in your ears, you held him to your chest as you let gravity do it's thing before you flew away from the tower. The intruder only stared as the building grew smaller and smaller until it was just a speck in a city of purple.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1/5/2020

"As much as I _love_ hearing someone screaming, do me a favour and shut the hell up!"

You snapped your mouth shut, but that didn't stop the small whimper of fear as you clung to Remus like a lifeline- which he was. You have no idea where you are, and that in itself is quite terrifying. If Athena was here, you would have been hugging her so hard right now. 

Remus paused from his flight and looked below the city. When he was satisfied with what he saw, he descended to the roof of a building and released you slightly so that you can land first. He all but collapsed when your feet made contact, and you never noticed how terrible he looked until now. His garments, which looked like something from the Stuart era, was filled with tears from the fight you managed to saw, and you were even able to see blood seeping through some of them. The deepest wound so far though was the one on his left arm, and despite still being shaken up, you rushed over to him and started rolling up the sleeve of his outfit.

"Wait until we're in bed at least, Lolo," Remus remarked with a tired grin, but you paid the comment little mind. The injury wasn't as deep as you originally thought, which was a relief, but you needed to wrap it up before it get infected. You tore off a good chunk of your shirt before tying it around the arm. When Remus hissed in pain, you gave him a distracted apology but mainly focused on the task at hand. 

"Done." You said, adjusting yourself so that you were sitting cross-legged across Remus. The teen in question looked at the garment wrapped around his arm and gave you a faint smile.

"Thanks, Lo. Since when were you so good at first aid?"

"I have a lot of time on my hands back home. Speaking of which-" You gestured to the towering buildings that seem to reach the sky and the planet that seemed to be chained down to this one. "Where the hell are we?"

It took him a while to register the question, and when he did his mismatched eyes widen in tired glee. "Wait a minute... you haven't woken up yet, have you?"

"What does that even mean?"

"You're so lucky!" Remus burst out giggling, slowly leaning back until he was laying down on the roof completely, his legs sprawled about carelessly. "You get to wake up to someone trying to kill you- when _I_ woke up it was because I had to sneeze!"

You made a face at the statement. "How is that even- Remus, pay attention to me already."

Remus rolled his eyes hard but otherwise complied with the request, albeit in his own dramatic way. He leaned his head against his right arm and crossed his legs to accentuate his butt. It was overall a slightly slutty pose that you can easily ignore. "Since I am obviously new to this, would you mind giving me a basic rundown of what I should expect to see on this planet? It is important that I make myself acquainted with all of... _this_." A huge majority of your brain is chocking this all up to you getting injured on the head during your exploration of the Frog Temple and are now experiencing hallucinations, but you withheld from that train of thought for now. It is important that you gather as much facts as possible to understand what exactly is going on- _then_ you could determine if this was really a vivid hallucination or not.

He groaned. "Ugh, do I have to? I basically save your life, and this is the thanks I get?"

"While I do appreciate you saving my life, Remus, I would also like to know _why_ I was attacked in the first place."

"Hell if I know."

"What?"

"Virgil told me to check up on you, and that's what I did. I didn't expect to stop an assassination attempt, and yet here we are."

Well that raises questions. How did Virgil know about the assassination, and why didn't he told Remus? You filed the question away for later use and got back to the task at hand. "Remus, can you please pay attention and tell me where we are?"

He shrugged and made a wide sweeping gesture with his arms, still laying down. "We're in Derse! Only the best planet of this side of the Void!"

That... still doesn't answer anything. "Let me see if I understand this, so feel free to correct me when I'm wrong. You said that I 'woke up', so that implies that I'm dreaming."

"Yes."

"So that means that while I'm here, my body is currently prone. Likewise, if I am awake in the real world, then my body would be asleep here... I assume that time still moves the same here, correct?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Wonderful. So while I was 'asleep', if that's the correct usage, someone made an attempt of taking my life. However, Virgil warned you of this before, so you arrived to my- and I'm assuming that's mine- tower, where the two of you fought. Yet we don't know _how_ Virgil acquired this information or why he chose _you_ of all people to save me. No offense."

"None taken. And the answer for _that_ is quite simple!"

"Which is?"

"I have no idea!"

You groaned and rolled your eyes. Remus flashed you a cheeky grin before he suddenly turned serious. "Shit, I'm-" He stood up, swaying dangerously to the side before he somehow managed to steady himself "Logan, you need to find somewhere to hide. Avoid populated areas, don't show your face to _anyone_ , and try to stay alive until I come back. If you're gonna wake up, try finding somewhere isolated to do it!" He rested his hand on his temple as he blinked rapidly, almost like he was trying to clear his vision. 

"Wait, Remus-" The sentence died in your throat when Remus stumbled forward, and you reached out to grab him before his body hit the ground. You didn't anticipated just how heavy he actually was, and you let out a gasp as you felt your own body sinking down with him. As the crowd continue to cheer, you held Remus against your chest and tried to wrap your head around what was happening.

* * *

You were slowly getting used to the controls of the game thanks to the help of Janus. Experimenting shows that you could pick up anything that was in the room, but you can't interact with Roman in any way. You also discovered that you can't be too far away from Roman or else the screen would just turn to static.

You were currently going through the items bar and seeing what you could place down in Roman's bedroom that wasn't too big or expensive, which was basically everything. Janus showed you where to place down the machines while Roman looked around curiously, touching each of the machine and trying to see how they worked. 

PB: I still can't believe that this is possible!

PB: This is basically like the Sims!

BY: youre not that far off, princey

BY: i need you to go somewhere big so that i could drop this next machine down

PB: You don't mean drop as in literally, right?

PB: I don't want to come in to see a gaping hole in the middle of my living room

BY: well now im tempted to do exactly that

PB: >:[

BY: relax, im just messing with you

BY: mostly

PB: >>:[

Placing the Cruxtruder in the armoury room- who has a whole room just for armour? -you stepped back to admire your work. The Totem Lathe was in the upstairs bathroom, the Punch Designix was in near the piano in the living room, and the Alchemiter was in the kitchen.

You had no idea what they do. Janus wandered off after telling you that he was gonna check in with Remus to see how he was doing, and you were left watching Roman fuck around with the Cruxtruder. He walked around the device, his brows knitted in a mix of concentration and confusion when they shot up. The teen left the room to get something, and you followed him with the camera. 

BY: whatre you looking for???

PB: Something to stand on

PB: There's a hatch on the last item you just dropped but I can't reach it

He grabbed a chair from the kitchen and rushed back to the armoury room, placing it flat against the device and standing on top of it. Roman grabbed the hatch and tried to turn it but was stopped mid-motion. The look of surprise that went across his face at how stubborn the hatch was caught you off guard, and you couldn't help but snort at the sight. "Should I help him?" You asked to yourself, knowing full well you wouldn't do shit. 

After watching Roman fail royally, you finally decided to help after you could finally catch your breath from laughing so hard.

BY: let me help you, ro

BY: you dont wanna break a nail now, do you?

PB: I hate you, you know that?

You rolled your eyes, knowing that he didn't mean it. 

BY: im gonna try to pop the lid open

BY: you got anything heavy?

He shrugged on screen, looking around the room before facepalming. 

PB: I'm such an idiot!

BY: i think weve already established that, princey

PB: No no no

PB: We're in a room full of armour that weighs a ton!

PB: Just use that!

You paused. 

BY: are you sure?

BY: arent these things important to you?

PB: They're just armour, Virge

PB: Go ahead and open that thing already

Given the go ahead, you moved the cursor to the armour and began picking them up. When you got four floating in the air, you positioned it over the lid and released your hole on the mouse. Roman suddenly covered his ears and jumped away from the Cruxtruder, and you realized belatedly that you just dropped about a hundred or more pounds of metal in the air when your screen turned white. 

For a terrifying second you thought you killed Roman, but you were relieved to see him safe and sound. What you _weren't_ relieved was the red orb that circled around Roman, who was trying to swat it away without touching it. When it became clear that it wouldn't attack him, he eased closer to it and waved at it. He opened his mouth and said-

* * *

"Hello...?"

The orb responded in a series of shrill shrieks and beeps, and you covered your ears quickly. When it sounded as if it was done "speaking" (or whatever the hell it was trying to do) and opened your eyes to see something floating in front of you. A bright red cylinder-shaped object was hovering mid-air, and when you reached out to touch it, it felt smooth and cold to the touch. It almost felt like glass. 

"Roman what-" Remus suddenly burst into the room, his hair a tousled mess and his eyes wide. He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the Cruxtruder and the orb floating near you, and he reached his hand to his cheek and pinched it. "I'm awake..." He said in disbelief, and you stored the cylinder in your fetch modus before reaching out to him, your hands raised in the air in an attempt to calm him down. 

"Remus, easy. Put the mace down."

He didn't pay attention to what you said, and you tilted your head curiously when you saw the scratch on his cheek. In fact, there were faint scratches all over his face and arms. What happened to him? His eyes were wide and had an odd look to it, but you weren't able to question it when he pointed the mace past the orb and to the Cruxtruder. 

"What the fuck is that?"

"It came with the game- Remus, this isn't a normal game! It-"

"Not that- _that_." 

It took you a moment to get what he was saying, and your eyes followed the mace to what it was pointing to. A panel was opened on the base of the machine, and numbers counted down in ominous white text. "A countdown...?" Whatever it was counting down to, you didn't had enough time. 

You only had four minutes and thirteen seconds left, and you had no idea what you're supposed to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry for once again taking so long to updating- I decided to participate in this month's NaNoWriMo and boy howdy is it a dozy! BUT! That doesn't mean that I'm gonna stop anytime soon!  
> It's Easter Break for me, and that means more time for me to do what I want! So stay tune, guys, gals and non-binary pals!  
> See you on the flip side.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1/5/2020

When Remus said to "find somewhere isolated to hide", he apparently didn't know how difficult that task was going to be. He also failed to mention that this task was immensely difficult while _carrying_ an unconscious body. You struggled just with the idea of finding somewhere that _wasn't_ filled to the brim with people- you can't even call them people, they look more like chess pieces. It seemed that everyone was out of their house doing God knows what, although you were more than inclined to believe that it had something to do with the ships that were leaving the planet. You have no idea how to fly, so you were forced to use your legs as you looked for a place that you could hide. 

You were lucky that the buildings were so closely built together or else this would have been a hell of a lot harder to do. You ran- or in this case jogged- and jumped, doing everything in your power to make sure that you wouldn't touch the ground. It was tedious at best with Remus's body slung across your shoulder and having to pause to make sure that he doesn't slide off the roof, but you managed. You don't consider yourself to be an athletic person, but you're doing pretty damn good for someone who stays inside for the vast majority of his life.

Only a handful of the civilians seemed to noticed you when they paused in their celebrating, and even that was too much. If someone saw you, then they could tell someone else, and then they can tell someone else until the cycle goes on and on until eventually, it goes back to the person who's trying to kill you. Your eyes dashed between the ground to see if there was a place where you can stop and rest. The more you ran, the less grand the buildings became until the ones you saw were old and broken. You doubt that anyone comes to these areas, but you also know that this was the perfect place for a gang to reside. You had to be extremely careful.

Slowing down your pace until you were walking, you allowed yourself to stop completely. You removed Remus from your shoulders and placed him against the back of a slightly taller building, making sure that he doesn't slide to the ground. Your chest hurts, and you couldn't get enough air into your lungs. Heading pounding and sweat dripping off your face, you took off your glasses and panted, coughing whenever your breathing hitched. You wanted so badly to sit down to rest your trembling legs, but you knew that the minute you do that you wouldn't be able to get back up. While you were recovering from your run, you allowed yourself a break to scan the area.

You could still hear the cheer from the capital, albeit more distant, and you realized that majority of the population were probably there. When you felt as though you weren't going to pass out, you straighten out your body, hoisted Remus over your shoulders once more, and walked across the roof, being mindful of the holes and loose boards. There was a building over yonder that looked promising, and you wanted to check it out before you moved further. 

Something cracked beneath you, and you only had a second to react before the roof collapsed underneath you. A strangled cry left your mouth as the world became a blur, and you grabbed onto Remus's arm before he was too far for you to reach. You reached out your hand at the last second to stop your fall, and it somehow managed to worked as you were able to grab one of the lower beams, but even then that was short-lived. The wood snapped under your weight, and you felt your back connect with the floor before your eyes shot opened.

You gasped, unable to find your breath. Barking filled your ears, and it took you a moment to realize that this was Athena. She jumped over you, frantically nudging you with her nose to see if you were actually alive or not.

Honestly, you weren't so sure yourself.

When you were finally able to get your breathing under control, you moved your body to a sitting position and allowed Athena to lick your face, more than happy for this little comfort. You wrapped your arms around her neck and hugged her, feeling as though this was long overdue. 

The sun was higher in the air, and a quick glance at your watch showed that it was almost midday. You were out far longer than you originally thought, and you groaned and leaned your head against your dog's fur, who panted heavily besides your ear. Your eyes glanced to the Lotus Capsule, and you blinked when you saw that there was an hour left on the timer. You didn't feel like moving from your spot, so you stayed like that as you gave your body a much needed rest.

* * *

This was a disgrace. 

You removed yourself from the window and stood in the middle of the room, festering in your anger. You could feel it rolling off you in waves, your breathing being released through clench teeth. The knives in your hands trembled with how hard you were gripping them, and you wanted so _badly_ to plunge them into something warm and oh so human. A shout left your mouth as you were suddenly swept by a storm of rage. Nothing survived from your rage, and you were left standing in a massacred room with the cheers of your people roaring in the background.

Taking several deep breaths to calm your nerves, you took out your walkie talkie and turned it on. The response was immediate. 

"Did you do it, Jack?"

"Unfortunately, I did not. Some brat interrupted me and took off with the target," you growled. Your blood still boils at the thought. DD lets out a hum of understanding, and you had half a mind to think that he didn't cared if it wasn't for the fact that he always sounds like this. You heard something moving in the background, and it took you a moment to register that it was people talking and machinery working.

"I've already found our next target here. He doesn't look like he awoken yet, but we should still try to proceed with caution for our next move. I've also sent HB and CD out to Prospit so that they can get started with their assignments too."

You scowled at the thought of those two working with each other, but DD always knows what he's doing, so you trust that he's making the right call. 

"Remember- we just need to kill at least one of them to seize our success."

You nodded. You won't make the same mistake twice.

* * *

==> Enough evil scheming. Become Patton already.

Your wish has been granted! You are now Patton, and right now you are debating on whether or not you should play the game already. 

_But Patton, don't you want to play with your friends? It would be wrong of you to play without them!_

That's probably what you, the reader, is thinking, right? But! It would also be wrong for you to _not_ check out the game! Besides, you wanted to know if it was really multiplayer or not like what the box said. It couldn't hurt to check, right? You already inserted the disks into your computer and was now waiting for it to install. Buttercup was in the room with you, and you waved her favorite toy around so that she could play. She was a feisty little puppy and you love her to death because of it. 

The computer made a noise, and you turned to face it with excitement. That excitement quickly died when you read the message that was displayed in the tiny black box.

CANNOT CONNECT TO CLIENT PLAYER. PLEASE TRY AGAIN.

"Dang it! I really wanted to play, too..." You pouted, crossing your arms and slumping down in your chair. The message did peaked your interest, though. Client player? Who's that supposed to be? You had five options to choose from, but you can't even ask them what that means because they haven't installed the game yet.

Today sucks.

* * *

The red orb circled around Roman frantically before zipping upstairs. The two of you shared a look before running after it, and you had to pause when you passed a window in the living room. Roman carried on, and from the direction he was going in it looked like he was going to the bathroom. Why he was going _there_ of all places is beyond confusing, but that didn't mattered right now.

What _did_ matter was the distant rock that was heading straight to your house. " _Shit_ -" You stepped back from the mirror as if it burned you, trying to figure out why the hell is a meteor heading straight to your house. Nothing on TV said anything about this! Why _here_ of all places?!

There was a crash from upstairs and a shout, and you shook your head to clear those thoughts and ran up the steps two at a time. You almost stumbled several times and was rewarded with slamming into Roman.

* * *

You had no idea what the orb wanted, but honestly it would beat standing around and waiting for the timer to finish to unleash whatever hell onto the world. It took you to the bathroom of all places, and you remembered with a start that that was where Virgil placed down one of the machines- you believe it was the Totem Lathe, if you remembered correctly. 

Opening the door the first time proved to be more difficult than you thought, and time was running out. The green cursor that's been following you this entire time suddenly attached itself to the door, and when you realized what Virgil was about to do, the door was ripped off its hinges and tossed to the side like nothing. "Thanks!" You said, not caring if he heard you or not. The orb circled around the device, and you took out the red cylinder and held it in your hands. 

"What do you want me to do?" It circled around the machine excitedly and spoke in that language you can't understand, so you did the only thing you knew how- you inserted the cylinder into the machine. It whirred for a second, but after that nothing happened. An icon appeared from one of the holes that read: INVALID ATTEMPT. PUNCHED CARD NEEDED FOR TOTEM LATHE.

"A punch...?"

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you checked who sent you a message.

BY: shit i thought you didnt need that card

PB: VIRGIL

BY: look on the sink!!!

You rushed to it and sure enough, there it was. You picked it up and placed it in one of the empty slots. The machine whirred again, and this time it carved the cylinder into something that resembled a soft drink bottle. You picked it up and ran out of the room, running into Remus as a result. 

"Roman, wait-" 

You pushed past him, your attention focused on the orb. You suddenly felt your body lurch forward, and you somehow managed to catch yourself before you fell. One of the armour heads rolled into the living room, and you kicked it out of the way. 

Apparently you don't know your own strength. It ricochet off the floor and hit the wall, heading straight to the red orb, who seemed to absorb it immediately. The room exploded into red light, and when your eyes finally adjusted, you saw that the floating orb was now a floating armour head. "What-" Remus pushed you from behind, pointing to the orb urgently. 

"Whatever the fuck you're doing, do it!" 

The orb screeched in agreement, and you cast him a concerned glance before following the floating armour head to the kitchen. He ran out of the living room from the corner of your eye until the head suddenly blocked your vision, flashing at you aggressively. You waved it away and entered the kitchen, taking out what used to be a cylinder and inserting it into the opening of the alchemiter. 

The rod that was near the base of the machine activated, inserting a needle into the cylinder. A grandfather clock materialized in the center of the pad, and you paused in confusion. You saw that there was only a couple of seconds left until it hit twelve. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

You took a step back, you eye catching something from the kitchen window. The sound of the grandfather clock ticked heavily in the room as you stared at the meteor that approached your house, and you felt yourself froze in fear before it finally clicked that _you were going to die if you don't do something._

10

Your sword appeared in your hands and you raised it up to attack.

9

The head pulsed violently, circling you tightly and avoiding your swings. 

8

You could feel the ground shaking beneath you as everything begins to burn. 

7

"Get out of my way!" You swung again, and the orb flew towards your hands.

6

Sword flying out from your grip, you reached out your hand to grab it only for the orb to keep attacking you. 

5

"Screw the sword!" You turned your attention to the clock itself, fully prepared to destroy it if it means surviving.

4

You grabbed the nearest chair and brought it over your head. The orb _screeches._

3

It stand between you, the room thrown in a flashing frenzy that hurts your eyes.

2

You charged, the orb doing the same.

1

You brought the chair down.

_0_

The world is thrown into white.

* * *

You ran to where your bedroom is, which is on the other side of the house. You cursed the people who decided to make your house so big and filled with useless rooms and halls. You didn't know what else to do except grab your phone and send what could possibly be your last message.

The house trembled violently as you saw the meteor approach the building. Everything was hot. Everything was too hot.

YB: janus youre the best person ive ever known

YB: im so glad we had the chance to be friends

DR: REMUS GET OUT OF THERE

DR: YOURE GOING TO DIE IF YOU STAY THERE

YB: tell daisy i love her

The meteor was too close now. You just hoped that Roman was able to survive. 

White invaded your vision, and you realized that this is the second time you've almost died today. You huddled in the corner of your room, tuck your head between your knees, and prayed that your death will be quick.

It wasn't quick. In fact, it never came at all. When you finally decided to open your eyes and your vision was clear of spots, you saw something that shocked you.

Half of your house was cut clean, and from the opening you saw what looked like a barrier encasing your half of the home. A burning crater was left where the other half was, the whole area covered in flames. The logo for the game shone in your face from the barrier, and you felt your legs give out underneath you as you stared at it in complete disbelief.

\-- END OF ACT I --

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY 4/13!!!
> 
> I was waiting so long to publish this chapter, and now it's finally here! :D :D :D
> 
> I got into Homestuck in 2015, so I wasn't apart of the hype until now with Beyond Canon, but this fandom has honestly changed my life for the better. I found an amazing friend because of it, and I love how crazy the community is! As another little tribute to it, I'm gonna be premiering a speedpaint I did on my channel (although by the time it's up it'll probably just be a regular video, ha). If anyone would like to check it out, here's the link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVXtp_Ry7Oc
> 
> Well, that's all the news for now! I'll be back with another update into the story, so stay tuned for that guys, gals, and non-binary pals!
> 
> See you on the flipside!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 1/5/2020

You all but slumped back against your chair, placing a hand on your beating heart to calm it down. Roman was unconscious on the kitchen floor but was otherwise unharmed, the floating armour head hovering above him almost protectively. You heard the bed creak as Janus fall on top of it, letting out a relieved sigh from where he was before quickly sitting up again with a shout. He entered your room again when he heard you panicking and watched what was happening in the same distressed manner that you were viewing it. Now he suddenly seemed to remember something, and it took you a moment to realize that you don't know where Remus was. 

"Oh thank _fuck._ "

"Is he okay?"

He showed you his phone, and sure enough, there was Remus's response. Thank Christ- you had no idea how you were going to explain to Roman that his twin was dead. You didn't even want to _think_ about Remus being dead. When it was clear that he was okay for the time being, Janus sat on the arm of the swivel chair and pointed to the screen. "Now that we know that Roman hasn't kicked the bucket yet, can you zoom out to see where the actual hell he is?"

You shrugged. "I can try, but it probably won't take me that far." Moving the cursor to the respective icon, you clicked it a couple of times before you paused. "Hold on a second..." A new icon was added to the menu, and you tilted your head at the sight. It was a small planet that was red and sprinkled with gold, and hovering over it revealed a name. "Land of Blades and Clockwork?"

"That's not what I'm seeing," Janus commented offhandedly, who had taken control of the mouse temporarily. It was true- from what you were able to see, it was just darkness. There was nothing for miles. 

"Do you think the game's broken?" He scoffed at the idea and shook his head.

"Hell no. But I have no idea what we're supposed to do."

While he began brainstorming, you switched windows to Pesterchum. 

BY: congrats on not dying dude

BY: im not being sarcastic btw im honest to god serious

BY: but do me a favour when you wake up

BY: try looking around outside and see if you can find anything useful

BY: cause were getting nothing on our end

BY: also remus is okay

BY: so we dont need to worry about him for the time being unless another meteor decides to rear it ugly face

BY: wait that might happen shit

BY: i need to tell the others what to expect because holy FUCK im not going through that again

\-- breakpointYouth  [BY]  ceased pestering properlyBeau  [PB] \--

* * *

DR: Remus are you SURE that you're okay???

DR: Like you don't need to be taken to the hospital or anything?????

YB: man i dont think i CAN leave

YB: this weird barrier doesnt seem to be leaving anytime soon

YB: but seriously tho romans okay???

DR: Yeah, he seems to be okay for the time being. 

YB: oh thank fuck

DR: But we also need to discuss something important 

YB: what could be more important than having my house cut in half??????

DR: The game, you twit.

DR: Apart from the four of us, Patton and Logan still has no idea what the game actually does.

YB: then we just tell them then

DR: No it's-

DR: It's a lot more complicated than that, Ree. 

YB: well i know that youre gonna figure something out dee

YB: im gonna go install the game now since i havent done that yet

YB: i could tell lolo about the game tho if youre too busy

DR: That would be appreciated, thanks. 

\-- youngBooty [YB] ceased pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] \--

Neither of you mentioned about what happened during the end of the countdown. How do you even _start_ with that sort of conversation? "Hey, so remember that time when we were both certain that I was going to die and basically gave my last goodbyes?" 

Yeah, that's not gonna happen. You know that you're the chaotic person in your group, but even you know when to draw the line. It's best to just forget about it for now and focus on what's happening right now. You took out your copy of Sburb and inserted it into your computer, drumming your fingers against the table while you texted Logan. He didn't respond immediately, and you were about to question it when you saw that the game was finished installing. A message appeared on screen that caught your attention. 

A PLAYER IS ATTEMPTING TO CONNECT WITH YOU. PLEASE REFRESH YOUR CONNECTION AND TRY AGAIN.

"Well _this_ is interesting!" You quipped, refreshing the game before standing up and leaving your room. While you wait for whoever is gonna play with you, you decided to see what areas of the house was affected by the meteor. The kitchen, living room, and Roman's bedroom were all gone along with the armoury room and the upstairs bathroom, so you were left with your bedroom, the pantry, the downstairs bathroom, and the den. There was also rooms that were cut completely in half, but you didn't include them because what the hell are you gonna do with half a room? At least you know that you weren't going to starve to death. 

The faint hum of the barrier filled your ears, and you turned your gaze towards it. Walking carefully so that you wouldn't fall to your death, you reached out your hand to touch it. The hum grew louder the closer you were to making contact, and you were almost certain that it was glowing brighter. You were only a couple of inches away from it when electricity suddenly ran through your hand and arm. 

"Fuck!" You jerked your injured hand to your chest and tried to shake off the stinging pain. Note to self: don't touch the barrier. Ever.

* * *

\--breakpointYouth [BY] began pestering lightestMuffin [LM] at 14:01--

BY: patton 

BY: patton are you there?

BY: goddammit now isnt the time for you to go MIA 

LM: virgil is everything alright? are you having another attack?

BY: no but i appreciate the concern

BY: what i wanna talk about is the game

BY: specifically the fact that it can send meteors to our houses at any goddamn second

LM: ?????

LM: i'm sorry, what???

BY: look, i dont have a lot of time to explain this to you

BY: well maybe i do but i dont fucking know at this point

BY: depending on what youre gonna do, be prepare to be quick

BY: all of our lives are at stake now because of this game

BY: the twins almost died because of this

LM: D:

BY: shit i didnt mean to scare you im sorry

LM: you didn't scare me, kiddo

LM: well maybe a little

LM: but i am a bit on edge now

LM: oh hold on a sec

BY: whats going on???

BY: do you see something????

LM: i see someONE

LM: is that remus???

BY: ????

You set your phone to the side and inched closer to the screen, pushing your glasses up the bridge of your nose to get a clearer look. Remus was walking around in what looks like a pantry, checking the labels on some cans to see if they were expired or not before placing them back on the shelf. You honestly had no idea what to do for controls, so you just watch him for a moment. Eventually he left the pantry room and headed back to what you assumed to be his bedroom, although it took you a while to come to that conclusion.

Despite what you thought, Remus's room wasn't a raging mess that was filled with demonic possessions. In fact, it was quite the opposite! It was terrifyingly clean, with not a single book out of order. All of his finished paintings were hung neatly in a corner of the wall, and even though they depicted scary eldritch beings, you had to give him credit where credit is due- he's a _really_ good artist. You've never seen such detailed paintings before in your life! Apart from the paintings, the only object that was slightly out of place was his chair that was seated in front of the computer, although he quickly fixed it when he reentered his bedroom. Your phone buzzed from the corner of your eye and you saw that Virgil sent you a handful of messages. 

BY: do you want me to walk you through the controls?

BY: its a little confusing ngl but i think youll get the hand of it pretty soon

BY: the only thing that gonna suck is the timer 

BY: and the meteors

BY: and the potential of death looming over our heads

BY: and the constant reminder that all of youre friends lives are on your hands and if you mess up then theyre basically dead because of you

LM: Virgil, remember to breathe

LM: You're gonna give yourself an attack if you keep doing this

BY: right

BY: okay

BY: im totally calm

LM: Are you sure?

BY: yep 

BY: absolutely 

LM: If you're absolutely sure, then yeah, you can help me with this

BY: alright, lets get started then

LM: :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late-ish chapter. School got in the way and shit. Hope you enjoy though!


	9. Chapter 9

The timer had less than a minute to finish when your phone buzzed in your pocket. You honestly forgot that you brought it with you, so you jumped in surprise and jerked to the side. Athena whined and nudged you with her nose, and you gave her a tight smile and scratched her right ear before taking your phone out. You were still connected to the internet, although it was extremely inconsistent, so you were quick in reading the messages that your friends sent you.

\--lightestMuffin  [LM] began pestering magneticLinguistic  [ML]  at 11:01--

LM: I GOT THE GAME 

LM: :D :D :D

LM: did you get the game yet?

LM: oh wait you said that you would message me when you get it 

LM: whoops!

LM: sorry!

LM: message me when you get the game so that we can play with the others!

LM: <3

\--lightestMuffin [LM] ceased pestering magneticLinguistic [ML]\--

\--breakpointYouth [BY] began pestering magneticLinguistic [ML] at 11:05--

BY: logan are you okay?

BY: please tell me that youre okay

BY: god what if remus didnt get to you in time

BY: what if youre dead right now and its all my fault

BY: shitshitshitshit

BY: what the fuck is going on with the game

\--breakpointYouth [BY] ceased pestering magneticLinguistic [ML]\--

\--youngBooty [YB] began pestering magneticLinguistic [ML] at 12:27--

YB: sup lolo

YB: long story short

YB: sburb is able to send meteors to your house 

YB: and you can interact with our houses

YB: its basically like the sims expect the deaths are a lot more deadly

YB: it isnt like sticking your dick in the toaster and jumping into the pool to meet your boyfriend

YB: whos the grim reaper

YB: do you think the grim reaper is into bdsm?

YB: he must be

YB: his whole schtick is literally killing people

YB: you know what ill bet you that hes into the whole breath thing where you try to suffocate your partner but not really suffocate your partner because of COURSE he would like the feeling of being on the verge of death hes literally DEATH

YB: weve done it folks- we discovered that the grim reaper is kinky as FUCK

YB: well i gtg

YB: try not to meet the grim reaper dude

YB: hopefully your assassination attempt was a one time thing

YB: like what the grim reaper does whenever he has sex

YB: hes like 

YB: "i know that you like me karen but i gotta take you to hell. just because i had sex with you doesnt mean that i would like to listen to you say how your lemonade bars are better than lisa when the only thing i want from you is to smother me with a pillow while you

At this point you decided to ignore the rest of Remus's odd fixation with the Grim Reaper and tried to make sense of what he sent earlier. You weren't able to finish your train of thought when Athena began barking at the capsule, and you realized with a start that it was opening. A bright light filled your vision, causing Athena to stand in front of you with her teeth bared, a low growl leaving her throat. 

Blinking rapidly to get rid of the dancing lights, you took a step forward only to be stopped by something tugging the corner of your shirt. Athena held the edge of your shirt tight in her teeth and tugged you away from the flower. "Easy, girl," You spoke, petting her head. She whined in response but allowed you to walk forward, although she didn't move from your side. You peered over the petals and tilted your head in slight confusion. Two game cartridges that was labelled Server and Client greeted you, and it took you a second to realize that this was Sburb. 

This was the game that can potentially kill all of you if you weren't careful.

You took out one of the disks and held it, trying to find some sort of anomaly but turning up empty. It literally just look like a game DVD. How is this responsible for bringing the destruction of the world? You captchalogued the game under 'G' and ran your hand through your dog's fur before walking to the transporter, ignoring the dull pain in your back.

* * *

Your eyes flickered opened, flashes of gold and white filling your sight in a dizzying speed until it finally settled on the white kitchen floor that you were on. You groaned, slowly easing your body to a sitting position as the armour head circled around you curiously. Your sword was at the other side of the room, and it took you a minute to remember what happened. 

"Shit- Remus? Remus, where are you?!" You stood on trembling legs and ran to his room, the floating armour head following close behind. It didn't took you that long to notice that something was severely wrong. You found yourself standing in what was _supposed_ to be the den, but instead you were staring into the abyss. Literally. You couldn't see anything for miles, although if you focused hard enough you could hear a distant, rhythmic ticking seemingly coming from all around you. You didn't dare lean down any further because you didn't want to trip and die, so you did the logical thing and step a good couple of feet back. "What the hell...?" 

Your phone buzzed, making you jump in surprise. You completely forgot that you had it on you. You switched over to Pesterchum and checked what Virgil sent you.

BY: Great, you're finally awake

BY: I thought you were going to cling to the kitchen floor forever

PB: Virgil???

BY: Try again

PB: Deceit??????

BY: I see you still haven't let go of that name, but yes

BY: I took over so that Virgil could calm down and get something to eat

BY: So until then, you're stuck with me

PB: Great. Wonderful. Where's my brother

BY: He's home and well, so we don't have to worry about him until the skies decide to drop more meteors on us

PB: Speaking of meteors, do you know where the hell I am?

BY: Says here that you're on the Land of Blades and Clockworks, although I have yet to see a single blade or a clock since you've woken up

BY: But we can't focus on that right now- we have bigger fish to fry

PB: What could be bigger than having half of my house AND my brother missing???

BY: The GAME, you twit

BY: Jesus you're just like your brother

BY: From what you, Remus, Virgil and I have seen, we only have so much time before we are obliterated to dust

BY: So that means that we have a limited amount of time to make sure that the five of us enter wherever the hell you are

PB: What do you want me to do then?

BY: Isn't it obvious?

BY: We have a game to play, Roman

BY: And I intend to finish it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter! This was the final week of classes so I was super stressed and needed to take a break for a while. Also guess who had to go back and change Deceit name to Janus because holy shit I did not expect that to be his name.
> 
> Hopefully the next chapter will be longer, and I'll see you soon!
> 
> (Also the next Sanders Sides is gonna be angsty as hell good grief)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say that I was gonna make a longer chapter. Just didn't expect it to take nEARLY A MONTH TO WRITE. 
> 
> ALSO!!
> 
> A bunch of people and I are gonna rewrite Homestuck, so stick around for that! 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

You found yourself standing in front of the heavily decorated door that led to the throne room. The Black Queen summoned you regarding your newest job, and you couldn't help but wonder what it was that she wanted to discuss. You weren't going to know if you stood here all day, though, so you adjusted the armor head that you and many other workers of the planet were now forced to wear and pushed opened the door. You considered yourself to be lucky, though, despite how hot it is inside this suit of armor- at least you're not forced to wear a clown outfit.

The Black Queen was seated on her throne as always, her legs crossed in a dignified manner and her gaze as sharp as ever. She signaled the occupants of the room to leave save for one, and she beckons you to come forward with her finger. You rolled your eyes at the sight- she was always one for theatrics. 

She asked about the status of the mission. You told her that the Courtyard Droll and Hegemonic Brute were preparing to go to Prospit as you speak. She nodded her head in slow approval, her index finger tracing the arm of the chair in slow circles. Her head tilted to the side thoughtfully, and her eyes turned upward to the ceiling. 

You asked her why she called you here in the first place. You're a very busy man, you told her- you got a lot of kids to stab. Her face cracked open in a slight smile, although you've seen that smile enough times to know what it means. She tells you that she has been doing some research recently and claims that if you failed at your first mission- you clenched your hands at that. You've never failed a mission before in your life, and you sure as hell weren't starting now - you could also go with the backup plan. 

Through clenched teeth, you asked her what the backup plan was. 

Her smile grew. 

* * *

Your hands were shaking as you pour yourself a glass of water. You trusted Janus to take care of Patton for a while, and you needed to unwind anyway. The rain continued to beat down as you hoisted yourself on the kitchen counter, staring into your drink thoughtfully. You honestly had no idea how the six of you are going to win this game, let alone survive the aftermath of it- if you can even call this a game, that is. This feels more like an invitation for death than anything else, and you found your fingers tapping against the counter anxiously. 

Taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, you finish the glass of water and jumped off the counter, heading to your bedroom with confidence you doubt you had. "Alright, my turn." You told Janus, tapping him on the shoulder to catch his attention. 

He looked at you in slight surprise but got up. "Are you okay?" You hummed in response, jabbing a thumb at the door and told him to stop worrying about you and to start the game. Janus rolled his eyes at that but grabbed his phone before he left, and you made yourself comfortable in front of the desk as you studied what he'd done so far. His last conversation was with Roman, and a quick read-over gave you the basic gist of what they were talking about before you turned your attention to Sburb. 

Roman was sitting in front of his own desk, his brows furrowed in concentration and his finger tapping against the mouse in thought. Something felt off about the scene, and you couldn't for the life of you figure out what it was. You zoomed out a couple of times when something caught your attention, and you zoomed in as much as possible. Several small hands seemed to clung to the edge of the mountain (at least you _think_ it's a mountain) and pulled themselves up, and your eyes widen when you realized that they were imp-like creatures. Their features were obscured in the armor that they wore, but that doesn't hide the fact that they could hurt Roman.

You switched your view back to Roman's bedroom, opening Pesterchum again to inform him of what you just saw. At the same time, Roman's head suddenly snap to the left as the red orb buzzed around him urgently, pushing him off the chair and towards the door. 

PB: Virgil, what's going on?!

BY: imps are surrounding your house dude!

BY: try not to get killed and ill try to find a way to barricade the house!

PB: HALF OF MY HOUSE IS STUCK ON EARTH 

PB: YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO A DAMN GOOD JOB OF "BARRICADING" IT VIRGIL

BY: STOP TEXTING ME AND MOVE ALREADY

Roman did exactly that, and you unconsciously brought your hand to your mouth as you tried to come up with a good way of protecting him. Your eyes widen when an idea struck- instead of trying to patch the hole, why don't you try building up? 

Your mind now made up, you looked through the game's menu to see if you could do just that.

* * *

Against all odds, you found yourself quickly getting used to Remus's room. Sure it was creepy and slightly unsettling, but they're just paintings- it's not like they could hurt you. Besides, you have bigger things to worry about. 

Like where on Earth are you gonna deploy the Cruxtruder and the Alchemiter.

It was too big to fix in the the bathroom and the pantry, and if you placed it in Remus's room then he wouldn't be able to leave. You whined in frustration and scratched your head in thought, Buttercup sleeping comfortably on your lap. You _guess_ that you could drop them in the half room, but Remus mentioned something about the barrier zapping him when touched, so you're going to have to find a way to make sure that it isn't too close to it. 

"Hopefully he'll be okay with this..." You mumbled under your breath, ready to do exactly that when you felt the house shuddered followed by your Dad yelling shortly after. Your heart skipped a beat when you heard that, and for a terrifying second you had the mental image of Dad crushed underneath one of the machine. "Up, girl!" 

Buttercup sprang to life and hopped off your lap as you ran to the source of the noise. The machine was in your Dad's bedroom of all places, and standing in front of a now crushed bed is the man of the hour. Dad was alright, thank the heavens, although the Totem Lathe was way too close to him for comfort. It suddenly occurred to you that you haven't explained what was happening yet, and you had to ignore the incredible urge to facepalm. How did you forget to tell Dad about what was going on?! It also occurred to you that he looked like he was on the verge of either passing out or having a stroke, so you figured that you have to be quick. "Dad, I know how this look-"

"Patton what in the seven rings of hell is going on?!"

 _He used the h-word._ Realizing just how serious this is, you looked around to see if you could sit and have a nice, calm conversation only to remember that the bed was still destroyed. _Thanks a lot, Roman_ , you thought to yourself before putting on a smile on your face. It felt strained at best and it probably look like a grimace more than anything else, but it was the best you could do in this situation. 

Your voice cracking near the end, you started the explanation with: "Do you remember that game that I got today?" He looked at you with that same bewildered expression, and you knew that you had to make this quick.

* * *

Once your vision cleared, you stepped off the transporter and suddenly found yourself light-headed. You brought a hand to your head and leaned against the bookshelf to wait for the dizziness to pass, the dull throbbing in your back more presence than ever. Athena whined in front of you and looked at you with wide eyes, and you gave her a slightly pained smile to calm her down. 

"I'm alright, girl. It's probably a side-effect of the transporter," you said, although a small voice in the back of your head wished that wasn't the case. You had no idea how the transporter can affect the human body, and you don't have any time to do any research about it. 

Steeling through the nausea, you stumbled out of the study and headed to your bedroom. Athena whined before going to the kitchen, and you figured that she must be exhausted from all of this. You made a mental note to give her an extra treat before the day is over.

Your room isn't as extravagant as Roman's or as demanding as Janus- in fact, many people would call it boring (Roman and Remus were the ones who said that actually, but it honestly doesn't surprise you since they are so focused on everything creative). The walls were painted a fair blue and was bared except for a wall that you've dedicated to the photos that your friends sent you along the way. Patton was the one who came up with that idea, and you decided to humor him with it and printed out what you considered to the best images of your group. You got so used to it though that you hate the idea of bringing it down, even if it was only for a second. Your work table was chaotic, as always, although you _do_ try to keep it clean occasionally- organization is something that you hold very dearly, after all. You actually have two tables in your room- one that is dedicated only for your work, and the other that holds your computer. You found that it's easier to have the two separated, otherwise everything would just be a confusing mess. 

Your focus entirely set on your computer, you sat down and brought out your copy of the game. It looks just like how it was advertise on the website, but that still doesn't make any sense to you. You shook your head to clear those thoughts. Now isn't the time to analyze the game, Logan- now was the time to play the game. Besides, you would get more answers the longer you progress, anyways. It's only logical, after all; you aren't going to make any big discovery by sitting in front of your computer and staring off into space. 

The light from the open window hit your glasses just right and emphasized the blue in your eyes as you cracked your knuckles and inserted the disks into your computer. Getting answers can happen later- right now, you have a game to play.

* * *

LM: My dad freaked out when he saw all the machines Roman dropped 

LM: （；へ：）

YB: did you tell him that were all going to die if we dont do this?

LM: No!!!!!

LM: I want to calm him down, not give him a heart attack!!

YB: not even a little?

LM: NO!!

YB: your lost, dude

LM: Do you know what happened to Roman btw?

LM: One of the machines dropped and almost made my dad into a pancake

LM: He isn't answering any of my messages too, which is weird

You tilted your head at that. It isn't like Roman to leave a message unanswered. Switching contacts, you sent Janus a quick message.

\-- youngBooty [YB] began pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] at 11:59 --

YB: do you know whats going on with roro?

DR: No, actually- I'm waiting for Sburb to install so that I can get started.

DR: Did anything happened to him?

YB: we have no idea

YB: pat said that he basically ghosted him and almost killed his dad

DR: Is his dad alright?

YB: hes fiiiiiiiine

YB: just a little spooked

YB: but what the hell is roman doing?

DR: I'm not the person you should be asking, dude. Virgil should know whats going on.

YB: it HAS been a while since ive talked to the emo!

\-- youngBooty [YB] ceased pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] \--

* * *

You closed your conversation with Remus and was pleased to see that the game was finally installed. It turned sour, however, when a message appeared in a small black box on your screen:

CANNOT CONNECT TO CLIENT PLAYER. PLEASE TRY AGAIN. 

"Goddammit," you hissed under your breath, although your eyebrows rose in surprise when the message was promptly cleared and you had a clear view of Logan's bedroom. "Well, isn't _this_ a pleasant surprise..." You mused. The two of you tolerate each other's presence, but you aren't as close as your other friends. In fact, most of your conversations tend to be short and quick, which is surprising considering that Logan tends to info-dump at the tip of the hat. 

You moved the camera outside of his room and explored the house to the best of your abilities, which proved to be somewhat difficult since his house is a lot bigger than you originally imagined. You were only able to explore the floor that he was on before your view switched to black, but you figured that that was good enough for you to get started. Before you start deploying the machines, you decided to give him a quick heads up. 

\-- deceitfullyRoyal [DR] began pestering magneticLinguistic [ML] at 13:52 --

DR: Looks like we're partners, Logan.

ML: While this outcome is surprising, it is also to be expected. Likewise, it appears that I am also hosting for Virgil as well, although this may prove to be troublesome in the future. Have anyone acted as the Server Player for you yet?

DR: No, actually. 

DR: I'll have to check into that after I'm done with you. 

DR: Do you know how to play?

ML: Remus gave me a rather crass rundown of what I should expect from the game, so yes. Although I am a bit hesitant when it comes to the combat aspect of the game. 

DR: You haven't allocated anything to your Strife Deck yet? What are you waiting for, a mystical weapon to fall from the goddamn sky?

ML: I've made a list of the pros and cons of allocating certain objects in my house to the Strife Deck, yet so far they all lean quite heavily to the negatives. I figured that I might make an update to my list in the future, but it appears that I've picked a bad time to do that.

DR: Yeah no shit. 

DR: Pick a knife or something already- you're good as dead if you don't have anything to defend yourself with. 

DR: And I doubt that you would send your dog to fight your battles. 

ML: You are correct in that regards, but I would rather not engage in any combat with a close-ranged weapon as that could be disastrous for multiple reasons. For one, it would be easy for the enemy to inflict more injuries on myself rather than on them. Another disadvantage is that it would be easy for them to take the weapon, let's say a knife, away from me and use it to their own needs. Those are just examples that came off the top of my head. I could come up with plenty of other reasons why close-ranged weapons are a bad idea, if you're interested.

DR: Alright alright I get it- you're still indecisive about what to pick.

ML: Precisely. I'm glad that I was able to get my point across. While I did enjoy our little chat, Janus, I'm afraid that we must end it here for now.

DR: Smartest thing you said in this whole conversation.

\-- deceitfullyRoyal [DR] ceased pestering magneticLinguistic [LM] \--


	11. Chapter 11

Your name is Roman, and as you ventured outside of your house, you couldn't help but feel as though you're in a horror movie. Your sword was clutched tightly in your shaking hands and your heart was racing when you felt the house shuddered slightly. You weren't able to see what caused it as several black hands latched itself to the edge of the mountain and rose themselves to their full height, which honestly wasn't that impressive. In fact, it looks like a simple kick would be enough to send them flying. The only thing that was odd about the imps was the single armor head that they wore, and you honestly found it silly to only wear one piece of armor because that still leaves you vulnerable to the opponent's attacks. You should know- all those strife with Remus when you were younger proved it.

The ground shuddered again and a heavy shadow hung above you, and you tilted your head and gawked at the new floor that was added to your half of a home. You weren't able to pay it any more mind when one of the imps suddenly threw itself at you, it's claws poised for the kill. Your response was instant- you brought the sword in front of your face and deflected the hands, pushing the imp to the ground and getting ready for attack. There were four that you could see, and you didn't want to risk them ganging up on you. 

You took a step back and the three imps matched it before the one in the middle dashed towards you, and in response you slashed at the air and felt your sword made contact with it's chest. You immediately turned away because you couldn't _stand_ the sight of blood, but you were more than surprised when it's body exploded in a cloud of smoke and several diamond-like objects of varying sizes and colors fell to the ground where it once stood. The remaining imps and you shared a moment where you looked at it in confusion, and you swear to God it looked like something Patton showed you in one of your previous chats, but you can't for the life of you remember what it was called. Great- now you're gonna spend the rest of the fight trying to remember the name and it's gonna bug you for eternity. 

You groaned audibly before yelping in pain when you felt your arm suddenly burn in pain, and it only took you a moment to realize that it was the imp that you've shoved to the ground that snuck behind you when you were distracted. You didn't waste no time in stabbing the sword straight into it's chest, and while the two imps charged at you, you pulled the sword out and felt your body lurch forward slightly as it exploded into smoke and diamonds as you cut off one of the imp's head and rolled to the ground to avoid being clawed in the face. Just as quickly as you moved, you struck- still keeping the momentum from your roll, you swept your legs underneath the imp's and grinned as it fell on it's back in shocked. You were honestly surprised that you were able to pull it off so well- it was Remus's signature move when it comes to his strife, and he would never show you how to do it. 

Spinning your sword in your hands, you brought it down on the imp and watched as it exploded into colorful gems. You couldn't help yourself- you had to add a bit of flair into your movements. Now that you weren't fighting for your life, you knelt down to inspect the weird stuff that remained, and looking at it now, you realize that it actually resemble dices than diamonds. You reached out a hand to touch it and jumped when it seem to vanish into thin air. When you didn't felt ill or looked around for any extra limbs that might have sprouted after you touched it, you figured that it was safe enough for you to keep collecting them. One by one, you tapped on the colorful dices and watched as it dissipated into nothing, and when you finally done you leaned against your sword and sighed. 

"That took way too long to do, oh my god." When you felt the ground shuddered again, you turned your attention to your house. "Now to see what the fuck Virgil is doing to my house."

* * *

Logan's room was neat and organized- which you completely expected of him. You honestly couldn't imagine a world where his room _isn't_ neat. You changed the view so that you were now outside of his bedroom- you didn't see the point in watching him sit in front of his computer and do the exact same thing that you're doing. You were only able to go so far before the screen turned to static, and at that moment Logan decided to send you a message.

ML: It appears that I have come across the minor setback that I've mentioned earlier.

DR: Your timing couldn't have been better, Specs.

DR: What's up, though?

ML: It has to do with space- or the lack thereof. Because of the way your home is formed, there isn't enough space for both yours and Virgil's equipment. I doubt that the game would allow two players to use the same equipment, so we're going to have to find a way to work around this issue.

DR: I could always use the basement and the living room if it'd make your life easier.

ML: You have a basement?

DR: Yeah. It's mostly filled with junk, though, so I could move some stuff around to help you.

ML: Unnecessary. I'm able to move objects faster than you thanks to the game mechanics, so you should focus on what's important. 

DR: Not killing you?

ML: Precisely. I will try not to make a mess, and I will contact you later.

\-- magneticLinguistic [ML] ceased pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] \--

DR: Wait shit.

DR: I forgot to ask you to move goddammit.

\-- magneticLinguistic [ML] began pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] \--

ML: You do know that I could still read your messages, right?

DR: Well can you still move for me?

ML: Give me a moment.

DR: Thanks bye.

\-- deceitfullyRoyal [DR] ceased pestering magneticLinguistic [ML] \--

True to his words, Logan did leave his bedroom, and you were now able to explore his house fully. You went about deploying the machines in areas that would cause him the least difficulty in reaching it when you suddenly felt your chair rocking violently beneath you. "Virgil cut that-" You stopped when you didn't see Virgil behind you, and for a moment you thought that your house was haunted when you received a message on Pesterchum.

youngBooty [YB] began pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] \--

YB: hey janny!

YB: guess whos your server player???

DR: Let me guess- it's you?

YB: ITS ME!!!!!!!!

YB: LOVE what youve done to the place btw

YB: is that daisy in the corner?

DR: Yeah, she's sleeping.

YB: is emo nightmare still scared of her?

DR: Terrified, but that's besides the point.

DR: Try not to get too distracted, Remus- we're on a time limit.

YB: relaaaaaaaax

YB: i got everything under control

DR: You say that every time something horrible is about to happen.

YB: *offended noises*

YB: >:0

DR: Try to stay safe on your end when you enter the game.

DR: I care about you a lot, you know.

There was a significant pause as you waited for Remus's reply, and for a moment you thought that you crossed a line. 

YB: thanks, janus.

\-- youngBooty [YB] ceased pestering deceitfullyRoyal [DR] \--

You leaned back against your chair, biting your bottom lip anxiously. Well, you think to yourself- that could have gone better.

* * *

It took far too long for you to convince your Dad to stay, but eventually he agreed, although the fleeting look of concern and fear that you saw before you sprinted to your room made your stomach churn uneasily. Buttercup barked at your heels, and you told her to stay with Dad until you were ready. You passed by some of the machines that Roman dropped but spared them little thought, your thoughts filled with getting Remus to enter and what on earth happened to Roman. 

Remus was still sitting in front of his desk when you turned on your computer, and you sighed in relief. Nothing happened to him while you were gone, thank God. You sent him a quick message before you deployed the last two machines in the half rooms and leaned against your chair with a sigh. Then you switched over to Pesterchum and clicked on Roman's handle.

\-- lightestMuffin [LM] began pestering properlyBeau [PB] \--

LM: Roman are you okay???

LM: You just vanished on me 

LM: Are you hurt?

PB: I'm fine, Pat!

PB: Apparently Sburb runs on RPG logic

LM: ???

PB: There were a bunch of imps that I had to fight, but I came out on top as always!

LM: Thank goodness

LM: I don't know what I would have done if you were hurt

PB: You don't have to worry about me, Pat. I'm fine. 

PB: Now let's get you into the game as well. 

* * *

\-- youngBooty [YB] began pestering breakpointYouth [BY] \--

YB: hey what the hell happened to roman?

BY: he went to fight some imps or whatever the hell they were

YB: i beg your pardon?

BY: im telling the truth, as crazy as it sounds

BY: im building up his house so that he doesnt get swarmed by them in the future

YB: thats a thing we could do???

BY: apparently

BY: wait

BY: the fuck???

YB: whats happening?

BY: ill talk to you later

YB: wait virgil whats happening is roman okay

\-- breakpointYouth [BY] is now an idle chum! --

YB: son of a bitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the next chapter wouldn't be filled with so many pesterlogs- they're a bitch and a half to format


End file.
